Honda CR-V reliability by year
54 recall campaigns and 13,739 owner complaints across 22 model years. Best year to buy: 2026. Year to avoid: 2011.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
Years to avoid — and why 13 flagged on the NHTSA record
Cleaner on the data: 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025, 2026 . Still verify the specific vehicle.
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 22 model years · newest first
Per-year recall counts add up to 142, more than the 54 campaigns above, because a single NHTSA campaign often covers several model years and is counted once in each.
Common trouble spots across the CR-V aggregated across 22 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Honda CR-V?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2026 Honda CR-V scores 10.0/10 — the strongest in the 2005–2026 range. 118 complaints on file, 0 active recalls. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which Honda CR-V year should I avoid?
The 2011 Honda CR-V scores 2.0/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 552 owner complaints with NHTSA, 13 active recalls. That doesn't mean every 2011 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the Honda CR-V should I avoid?
On the NHTSA complaint and recall record, the model years to be most careful with are 2014 (avoid — the electrical system — 1 fatality report and 1 fire-related complaint on the electrical system); 2012 (avoid — the powertrain — powertrain: 45 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 35,000–75,000 mi); 2011 (avoid — the engine — engine: 31 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 53,000–96,662 mi); 2010 (avoid — the engine — engine: 42 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 36,000–94,767 mi); 2009 (avoid — the body — body: 31 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 100,000–180,000 mi); 2008 (avoid — the body — body: 68 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 60,000–133,267 mi). The cleaner years on the data are 2026, 2025, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2019. This is our read of the federal data, not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection of the specific vehicle.
How many years of the Honda CR-V are tracked?
22 model years (2005 through 2026) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 54 distinct recall campaigns and 13,739 owner complaints. Those campaigns land on 142 model-year entries in total, because one campaign often covers several years at once — which is why per-year recall counts add up to more than the campaign count.
What's the most-reported problem on the Honda CR-V?
electrical is the most-reported category — 1,937 complaints across 21 model years. Average shop repair runs about $850.